It’s been kinda quiet around here for the past few months, but I’m hoping to reverse that trend soon. I’ve got a ton of terrific footage from the Key & the Cross tour last fall to sort through and upload. For now though, here’s one from a few nights ago in Seattle.

I have a few shows coming up too, if you’re in the area. Check the calendar for the details.

While I was on tour in Los Angeles a few weeks back, I had the pleasure of meeting up with an old music pal, SoCal songwriter par excellence, Brandon Schott, for a taping of his online songwriting show, Defying Gravity Music.

There’s a shortened video version of our chat- during which we covered such burning topics as sweatpants vs. PJ’s, what I like to cook, and why Bob Dylan is redonkadonk- and a longer podcast show, where you can hear us get a bit more serious and chop it up about music. Also, there’s an essay Brandon had me pen about ‘Hadacol Blues’, a cut from The Key & The Cross.

I’m very happy to announce the upcoming release of my new record, The Key & The Cross. It’s a collection of solo guitar/voice performances, captured live by Ben Jenkins at Kill Room Studios in Seattle earlier this year. The sole exception is a lovely duet with Gina Belliveau, also cut live in the same sessions.

The material here is quite different from anything else I’ve ever done. It’s predominantly blues-based, and many of the songs have roots in old traditional blues and folk tunes. Here’s a taste:

The record will be released digitally through Bandcamp on 11.1.2012. I used this site to get my last batch of music out into the world, and it seemed to work great. It’s easy-peasy for both artist and consumer, and I love that you can choose your preferred file format.

Unlike that record, I’m pressing some actual compact discs (remember those?) this time. It’ll be just a short run of 300 to start with, and to celebrate, Gina and I are going to throw the discs, my guitar, and my amp in the car and play a few shows around the western half of the country in November. Here’s the basic itinerary, and you’ll find more details at Reverb Nation.

(Warning: there are a lot of hyphens in the following post. If you have a medical condition which might be aggravated or triggered by hyphens and/or hyphenated phrases, please go here for relief immediately after you read this.)

I’ll be hitting the stage at 8pm to open up the night. As I’ve been fortunate enough do at other recent shows, I’ll be singing a few tunes with friend, musical co-conspirator, and indie-folk soul siren of Tacoma- Gina Belliveau.